Free T*Witches: Dead Wrong by Randi Reisfeld, H.B. Gilmour

weirdo, dude. Who knows what she did to that thing?”
    Riggs Applebee shoved Derek, sending him sprawling backward against a counter stool, his hat over his eyes.
    “Anyway, I like curly fries, not those limp pieces of puke you’re eating,” Kyle told the twins.
    “No big,” Alex said, focusing on the leftovers on her plate. She could picture the straight-cut potato twisting as if she’d picked one up and wrung it out, twisting and soaring up, up, up. Then the rush started in her gut.
    Go for it,
she could hear Cam will. Alex looked up and saw her sister smiling, smiling and rubbing the sun charm she wore around her neck.
    Alex stood abruptly, accidentally flipping her plate. Food flew. A startled shout cut off Kyle’s laughter. Two french fries had spiraled from the flying dish, corkscrewing into ponytail boy’s nostrils.
    Riggs backed off, gasped, then clamped his hand over his mouth to keep from cracking up. From the floor, Derek pushed back his ten-gallon hat and stared up, awestruck at Kyle Applebee’s potato-horned nose.
    Poor guy,
Cam giggled silently to Alex,
I bet those fries are cold.
She stared at them — as everyone else was doing — until the tips glowed red-hot and wisps of smoke oozed from Kyle’s nostrils.
    His eyes went wide as a mad cow’s and his outraged bellow added to the illusion. “Moo some-ding!” he hollered.
    “Do something?” Cam translated.
    Evan grabbed Alex’s glass of water and threw its contents in Kyle’s face.
    The fire hissed out. Coughing and sputtering, Kyle shook his head wildly. The fries flew free. One splatted onto Derek’s black cowboy hat; the other landed on his brother’s black parka.
    Kyle glowered. “You think that’s funny,” he jeered atAlex and Cam, who were trying not to laugh. He pulled out a knife.
    Evan grabbed the older boy’s arm but Kyle easily shook him off.
    “Give that to me!” Andy leaped up unexpectedly.
    Still holding the weapon, Kyle whirled around. The knife sliced through Andy’s down jacket. “Who you giving orders to college boy?” he sneered.
    “Look outside, you bonehead,” Lucinda called triumphantly.
    They all did and saw the revolving red light of Sheriff Carson’s car pulling into the diner parking lot.

CHAPTER TEN
    THE MORGUE
    The stooges scattered, Evan hurrying after them, as the sheriff came into the diner, with Mrs. Bass.
    Andy and Lucinda might just as well have left, too. They were standing together, oblivious to everything around them. “No, really, you scared him,” Alex heard Luce say breathlessly. The glowing girl began to massage her hero’s shoulder.
    “Mmm,” Andy murmured, “that feels great. Hey, but you’re the one who called him a bonehead.”
    Luce shrugged modestly. “Yeah, but you tried to take the knife away.”
    I’m going to toss, Alex thought.
    Then she saw the look on Mrs. Bass’s face and felt as though she really might. Clutching her stomach, she stood up. Automatically, Cam stood with her and took her hand.
    “Who was it?” Cam asked.
    “The body in the trailer,” Alex murmured.
    “We think it’s him. Ike.” Sheriff Carson took off his trooper’s hat. “Your dad,” he added respectfully.
    “Ike, her dad? As if,” Lucinda cried, going over to Alex. “Oh, honey, I’m sorry. Even if he was a jerk.”
    The sheriff turned to Alex. “We’d like you to come down to the coroner’s office, just to make sure,” he said softly.
    “Do I have to?” Alex asked. “Mrs. Bass knows him. Lots of other people in town do, too.”
    “Actually, I’d like to talk with you, anyway. I mean, I’m new here and there are things you’d know about Mr. Fielding that I don’t. Like most everything.” The sheriff smiled good-naturedly. “It’d be a big help if you would.”
    Cam watched her twin’s face, concentrated hard on what Alex was thinking.
Okay. Might as well,
she heard her sister decide.
    “I’m coming with you,” she said softly, following Alex out of the booth.
    Alex